Abstract
Urbanization has influenced the distribution of heat in urban environments. The mutual influence between weather factors and urban forms created by dense buildings intensify human perception of the deteriorating thermal environment in subtropics. Past studies have used real-world measurements and theoretical simulations to understand the relationship between climate factors and the urban heat island effect. However, few studies have examined how weather factors and urban forms are connected to the thermal environment. To understand the influence of various weather factors on urban thermal environments in various urban forms, this study applied structural equation modeling to assumptions of linear relationships and used quantitative statistical analysis of weather data as well as structural conversion of this data to establish the structural relationships between variables. Our objective was to examine the relationships among urban forms, weather factors, and thermal comfort. Our results indicate that weather factors do indeed exert influence on thermal comfort in urban environments. In addition, the thermal comfort of urban thermal environments varies with location and building density. In hot and humid environments in the subtropics, humidity and wind speed have an even more profound impact on the thermal environment. Apparent temperature can be used to examine differences in thermal comfort and urban forms. This study also proved that an urban wind field can effectively mitigate the urban heat island effect. Ventilation driven by wind and thermal buoyancy can dissipate heat islands and take the heat away from urban areas.
Highlights
The increasing urbanization of the subtropics is producing expanding urban areas with high density and a growing number of tall buildings [1]
To understand the weather factors that influence the thermal environment of different urban forms in subtropical regions, we had to first compile the path diagram before structural equation model (SEM) analysis to describe the mutual relationships among the variables
This study examined various urban forms and weather factors to identify the factors with the greatest impact on the thermal environment, investigate the relationship between weather factors and thermal comfort, and understand whether urban form influences the heat experienced in urban environments
Summary
The increasing urbanization of the subtropics is producing expanding urban areas with high density and a growing number of tall buildings [1]. The reduction of natural scenery and the proliferation of human-made buildings and pavement are increasing the temperatures of urban environments [2] and the heat storage capacity of buildings and the ground [3], thereby magnifying the urban heat island effect. This effect is a unique phenomenon in terms of temperature distribution and distinguishes urban environments from rural ones in terms of temperature research [4,5,6]. In low-latitude regions, the rate at which it heats up in the summer is even higher [13], so research on the urban heat island effect in the tropics is becoming increasingly important [16]
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